League of Legends developer Riot has released details on what to expect from the first season of 2025, and there's a lot to unpack. The first season will present a new map design, the trial of a new game mode, and a huge change to how often your rank resets, which I know the majority of players will rejoice over (spoiler alert, it's changing from once per season to once per year). Then there are character overhauls and the addition of a new enemy in the Rift.
To start, Viktor, one of the game's champions, is receiving a rework to match his character in Arcane more accurately—which applies to his visuals, audio, and backstory. He’ll look more like his model design in Teamfight Tactics, and his ultimate is getting altered to increase in size with every kill until it’s finished. All of Viktor's skins are also being updated to match his new look, but this does mean that his price is going up from 520 RP to 750 RP, so if you're yet to unlock him and don't want to splash the extra cash it's worth making the purchase now before the price increases.
One of the other biggest changes is the addition of a new Noxus-inspired map to Summoner's Rift. The blue buff and river zones will still have a luscious forest-y look. But bases, red buff lanes, and main lanes themselves will adopt a new look, like something straight out of Noxus Prime. This visual overhaul will affect things within the Rift too, with minions and turrets taking on a new appearance, and even shopkeepers dressing differently to keep up with the new aesthetic. A different plant has been added to the Rift too: the Blood Rose. These will spawn around the spots where champions have died and will give your team a small XP boost, as well as a permanent stacking Adaptive Force buff.
This map also introduces a new enemy to Summoner's Rift straight from Legends of Runeterra. Atakhan will spawn in the jungle after 20 minutes and target the lane with the most early kills. If no kills have been made, then the boss will spawn in the lane with the most damage dealt. Once 14 minutes have passed, Atakhan's pit will appear alongside two permanent walls to signify where he will target, giving you plenty of time to prepare to attack when he does take form. Not knowing where exactly Atakhan will spawn until you're a decent way into a game will definitely help to keep you on your toes, which is something I think Summoner's Rift has been lacking for a while.
To add to this, the amount of damage done by champions and the number of kills in the game will affect which version of Atakhan spawns too. In a high-stakes, high-action game, Ruinous Atakhan will appear. When he’s defeated, your entire team will have the effects from Epic monster rewards permanently increased, and he will leave behind a field of Blood Roses for you to harvest.
If you're having a particularly challenging game with low kills or damage, then Voracious Atakhan will spawn instead. As a reward for taking this less-threatening version down, your team will get a one-time rebirth buff instead and a permanent increase in gold from champion takedowns. It's not as significant a reward as you get for defeating Ruinous Atakhan, but it's still worthwhile if you're looking for some extra help, and frankly a less intimidating task.
What’s more, a new game mode is being tested in a few regions to replace Quickplay. Swiftplay is being rolled out as a more laid-back yet faster-paced version of Summoner's Rift, which aims to change the emphasis from dominating your opponent to developing your skills with your champion. It's still competitive (let's be real, it's impossible for any game of League of Legends not to be), but there's not as much on the line. Which should make Swiftplay perfect for new players who aren't ready for the trenches of Ranked, or anyone who just wants a fun game with their friends without getting fully involved.
As a result, many elements of the standard Summoner's Rift game are being altered in Swiftplay to make it easier for everyone to have a more relaxing experience. Sources of gold and XP will dish out more rewards as the game goes on, and players who are falling slightly behind the rest of the team, as well as support players, will benefit from increased rewards too. The timing of key moments in the game has been pulled forward, which should help to make the experience faster—so the likes of turret plating and Baron spawning will happen earlier on. The following regions will get access to Swiftplay as a replacement for Quickplay once this season rolls out:
More regions will be added to the list if the game mode proves as popular as Quickplay currently is, but we don't know when exactly this might be. For the time being, any region not featured on the list will be able to play Quickplay as normal.
